The Man From Earth

The Man From Earth is what I would call a classic Science Fiction movie. The movie contains no special effects, has no action sequences nor any does it contain any fighting scenes. The movie is set in the current era rather than some futuristic setting. So what qualifies this as a science fiction movie? Well to me, a science fiction movie has to ask a "What if" question and explore the consequences of asking that question. The Man From Earth asked, "What if a man can walk the earth for the past 14,000 years?". This question naturally leads to many other questions. What would such a man be like? How does he survive? What has he done?

Meet John Oldman (David Lee Smith), a college professor with a 10 year tenure who surprised everyone by suddenly resigning for reasons unknown. His concerned friends and colleagues drop by his house to find out why, only to get the big surprise. John's friends and colleagues, who are professors in the fields of Biology, Archaeology, Anthropology and Psychologist all try to poke holes in John's claim of being a 14,000 year old man. To find out what happens next, you'll have to watch the movie. It is an intellectually exciting movie that is definitely worth watching.

Before I close, I'ld like to point out a few connections this movie has with Star Trek. The cast of Man From Earth features Trek alumni actors Tony Todd, John Billingsley and Richard Riehle. Tony Todd has played Worf's brother, Kurn, in several TNG and DS9 episodes but is probably best known for his portrayal of an adult and senior Jake Sisko in one of DS9's best episode, "The Visitor". Richard Riehle likewise played the role of Captain Picard's best friend Batai in one of TNG's best episode, "The Inner Light". John Billingsley starred as Doctor Phlox on the fifth Star Trek series, Enterprise.

Tony Todd, John Billingsley and Richard Riehle in their Star Trek roles

It is certainly interesting for me to see guest actors from some of the best Star Trek episodes starring in The Man From Earth. However, what is more interesting is that the script was the lifework of Jerome Bixby, who also wrote classic Star Trek episodes "Mirror, Mirror" and "Requiem For Methuselah". "Methuselah" also features a 6,000 year old Leonardo/Brahms but is ultimately a love story. In a way, what Jerome Bixby did was to write write two completely different but equally compelling scripts starting from the same premise. Amazing stuff.